Campese said the CPR was in place to give the playing group a voice and provide leadership for the club as a whole and it was great to have some younger voices in this year's group.

"It's very similar to last year's structure, but we have Shaun Fensom in there which is well deserved and he's on the road to be one of the big leaders of the club so it's great to see him in there," Campese said. "We had a vote before Christmas among the playing group and this is the eight chosen and I think it's great to see that your peers have chosen you to lead the squad.

"Being in the CPR is about how you conduct yourself on and off the field and you need to lead by example."

Campese and Vice-Captain White spent the majority of the 2012 season on the sideline with knee injuries and Campese said the positive to come from the situation was David Shillington's rise to become a huge part of the clubs leadership.

"Shillo did a great job in leading the team to the semi-finals last year and I'm more than happy for him to take the role on while I'm unavailable," he said. "I've only got one thing on my mind at the moment and that's to get my knee right and get back on the field.

"Having guys like these named today as leaders helps me and the team out immensely."

A humble Shillington said he would be more than happy to commence the season as Captain if Campese was not ready for round one.

"I was always Vice-Captain last year with Whitey and my first preference is to back up Campo, he's a great leader around the club and I'm happy for him to come back in when he's ready and be Captain and I'll give him my full support," Shillington said.

Shillington praised other members of the group for their inclusion in the CPR and said the experience and leadership of a player like Shaun Berrigan was something the club needed, while Josh McCrone continued to develop his leadership qualities.

"Berro's been great and it's often why coaches look to pick up senior players like him as they offer great experience that can be passed down," he said. "We had a number of our outside backs that came a long way last year and I think that Berro has been a great influence on them."

"Having Campo out last year it was sink or swim for Josh (McCrone) and I think he came along in leaps and bounds," he said. "The way in which he was directing the team around by the end of the season was fantastic and it gave him a chance to play Country Origin which was a big step.

"I think he's only a step away from the Blues team now if he keeps his form up with us along with his leadership on and off the field."